Desolation
by DarkHououmon
Summary: Dark alternate version of A Sharptooth's Heart. A war has destroyed the Great Valley and Rex, hardened by war and his dark past, must return to confirm rumours of Darkarians still living inside the Great Valley. On hiatus/possible cancellation
1. Prolouge

Author's Note: This story will be on hold for a while as I type and finish Out of the Shadows. I may or may not continue to type chapters for this story. I did get permission from Sora W.T.K to write this story. Understand that this story is an alternate universe and therefore not canon to the original Sharptooth Heart storylines.

It should be noted that this story does take place at the same time that A Sharptooth's Heart does, but changes were made: Rex was born BEFORE Littlefoot and therefore is an adult in this story. Littlefoot and his friends reside in Crescent Valley, not the Great Valley. And Rex and Littlefoot have NEVER met.

Land Before Time belongs to Universal.  
Rex and the Dracovol race, Crescent Valley, and Donovan belong to Sora W.T.K.  
Stone, Tree-star, and the Rock Rangers belong to EbonyPatriot.  
Story idea inspired by Sora's friend.  
Everything else belongs to me.

Anyway on with the prolouge-

Light...or is it light...something is illuminating the sky. Dark puffs of smoke..no clouds, they part as the light shines through, bathing a cold rocky surface in pale yellowness. As it touches, the dark shadows part from what appeared to be a deep crater surrounded by mountains so tall and treacherous. The middle was illuminated, to reveal a series of smaller craters, cracks in the earth, what appeared to be singed foliage, but they could just be dying and appeared to be black. A huge pile of giant boulders decorated a corner of the valley, a huge whole was there, large enough for anyone to come in. If one looked closely enough, they could, once in a while, see few signs of life, a lizard wandering around the dry floor, a pterosaur uneasily passing overhead.

The valley used to be filled with signs of life everywhere. Green grass and tall trees were everywhere, fresh water came from a waterfall, making it a hospitable place to live. But it all changed...and many thought it was so drastic so quickly. A cataclysm and a war purged the valley of life, many fleeing to find other homes to live in, most dying in the process, killed by the carnivores who took advantage of this feast. Flyers preyed upon by other flyers, while the ground walkers were unfortunate victims of the big sharpteeth, experienced in tackling large prey in groups. The land became a bloodbath, the rocks permanently stained in the blood of the victims.

Those who survived long wish to return the valley back to the way it was before: a safe haven from carnivores. But it seemed hopeless. With the huge whole in the wall and the bloodshed, the survivors could not convince anymore dinosaurs to live in the valley. So thus it was abandoned, and for years it remained that way. As the years went on, the plants in the valley began to die off as if the very ground they sprouted from was poisonous. An earthquake split the valley's center in too, leaving a huge canyon right in the middle that seemed to be bottomless.

Few lifeforms returned, but only the smallest and most adaptable. The scurrying mammals fed on the few seeds and roots that were left behind, and they were preyed upon by small lizards. Insects returned to lay their eggs in the remains of the small vertabrates. A few gliders looking for a bite to eat would come over to eat the small maggots that ate away at the insides of the dead carcasses. Then would come sharpbeaks, looking to prey on the gliders through means of aerial teamwork and ambush. Finally came the scavengers, reptilian flyers with sharpteeth looking for an easy meal.

Though this ecosystem is a far cry from how it used to be. Almost predator-free almost all the time, plants everywhere, herbivores dominating the land, huge variety of creatures living together around what used to be an enclosed circle of tall mountains. And it had an extra layer of protection as well. Hidden inside the mountainous walls were a single pack of alimons called the Rock Rangers. Alimons were large predatory dinosaurs shaped to look like longnecks. Formidable fighters and killers, they would defend the valley against intruders. The Alimons had allies, human-like dinosaurs known as dracovols. Just as formidable as the alimons, the dracovols were the aerial combat fighters for the Rock Rangers.

But no one would suspect that a similar alliance would help bring about their downfall. The Darkarians were another pack of alimons. Ruthless, heartless, vicious, they were the exact opposite of their good-natured counterparts. They long plotted a take over the valley, make it their own. The valley was theirs, after all, so why shouldn't they rule over it with iron claws? The Darkarians were helped by their own pack of dracovols, strictly meat-eaters who hated the omnivorous dracovols that allied with Stone, leader of the Rock Rangers. Rorra, leader of the Darkarians, led a full-scale war against the Rock Rangers, and their battle field was the valley itself.

The battle scared away many of the valley's inhabitants, and most of the potential new inhabitants as well. Some innocent lives were lost as the alimons and dracovols fought each other, locked in deadly combat, blood being shed everywhere. Dead bodies fell from both the sky and the land, littering the valley with rotting corpses, which attracted many scavengers. The Rock Rangers were winning, but then the war took a deadly turn when a massive meteor smashed into the side of the valley, creating a huge whole and resulting in that pile of rocks you would see there today.

For the Darkarians, the meteor was a godsend because now they were backed up by many sharpteeth who came to the valley looking for a meal. Unable to cope with the overwhelming numbers, the Rock Rangers fled, and the valley was taken over by the Darkarians. But not long after, the valley became barren, free of meat, and the Darkarians started to have some regrets about what they've done. They soon left, abandoning their leadership of the valley. Or that is what rumor states anyway. According to another rumor, the Darkarians are hiding most of the time in their caves, sometimes resorting to cannibalism to stay alive. Other rumors state the Rock Rangers are all dead, but this was debunked after confirmed sightings of alimons living in Crescent valley, a valley similar to this one, the Great Valley as it was once called. Now many just call it the Desolate Valley.

The war also came with another price: ever since the war ended and the Darkarians won, no one has seen or heard from any known live dracovol..save for one. A strong warrior, his name was Rex. He carried battle scars on him, across his eye, across his chest, and on his arms and legs. Wings were a bit torn but he could still fly. His long feathers, once smooth, were torn and ripped through years in battles. His experience hardened him, and it was hard to get close to him. He truly believes he is the last of his kind. Although he blames alimons for his species' apparent demise, he still had a strong bond and love for the Rock Rangers, the alimons who raised him since his family was killed when he was young. He left the pack to live with his father for a while, but after the war, he returned to the Rock Rangers and continued to live with them.

Now residing in Crescent Valley, Rex had latched onto a ledge, an outcrop tall enough for him to see the entire valley. Ever since the Great Valley was destroyed, many of its future residents were redirected here. Although it lacked the safety of the Great Valley, it was a nice subsitute, and peace and harmony reigned for as long as the Rock Rangers moved here. No longer in secracy, everyone here knew of the alimons and Rex, the last dracovol.

As Rex scanned the horizon, he couldn't help but watch the playful kids, bounding everywhere as if life were a playground for them. The dracovol scowled angrily. What fools they were. They were lucky enough to not know or remember the Great Valley war that made life hell for many animals in and nearby, the same war that nearly claimed his species. At times, the dracovol would feel jealous of the kids carefree ways, jealous of their obliviousness to the Darkarians who might still be at large.

But one kid caught the adult dracovol's attention. A young kid named Littlefoot. From afar, Rex would watch the young longneck as he played with his friends. Littlefoot was supposed to live in the Great Valley, but before he had even arrived their with his friends, they had met up with a flyer who told him the valley was destroyed and redirected them to another valley, Crescent Valley. Of all the kids, Rex felt more pain for this one, especially after learning about the boy's sad history of losing his mother to a sharptooth attack and not knowing where his father was. And when Littlefoot travelled alone, Rex felt a sense of kinship between them, because it was as though Littlefoot was the last of his kind.

"E-Excuse me sir..." A nervous voice behind him snapped him out of his thoughts. Growling softly, the dracovol turned around, a scowl on his face. His eyes were met with a pair of alimon eyes. Standing before him was a medium sized alimon with a nervous look on his muzzle. He was almost solid black in color but yellow streaks decorated his side. His red eyes, each with a sliver of light blue, stared at Rex in fear as the alimon's light blue claws tensed once in a while, as if ready to bolt. "I do apologize for interrupting you...but the leader wants to speak with you."

A long, grumpy sigh exited the dracovol's snout. This wouldn't be the first time he was interrupted while he was in one of his observation moods. He regarded the shivering alimon with a pair of dark blue eyes. The blue-green dracovol with a sky blue belly moved forward, causing the alimon to take a few steps back. "Tell your leader..." he growled, but sighed and spoke softer, "...I'll be with him in a moment..."

The alimon bowed his head respectfully. "Thank you, sir, I'll go tell him." Rex watched as the dark-skinned alimon ran back down the mountain to inform the pack leader, Stone. Rex rarely held admiration for someone else, and Stone was an exception to that. During the war, Stone's left leg was ripped off in a fight against a large sharptooth. Through long painful process, Stone's left leg healed, and the protruding bone was carved into a sharp point, useful as a weapon. Stone's athletics were still sharp, and uneffected by a missing leg. This helped him keep his leadership status among the surviving members of the original Rock Rangers. To show his respect towards Stone and his endurance, Rex himself had fixed Stone a primitive artificial limb, which was a cane made of diamond which he had melted together with lava.

When it had cooled and lengthened into a cane-shape, Stone could slip it over his sharp bone and it would fit like a glove, and it allowed him to run easier while he wasn't in combat. His skillfullness in the arts and crafts made Rex a very valuable member of the pack. At this moment, Rex ponders what the leader could want with him today. Ever since they came to Crescent Valley, there were scarcely any real threats, and the Darkarians hadn't been seen since the end of the Great Valley War. Getting up from his perch and taking one last look at Littlefoot, Rex made his way down the mountain and went over to a meadow where he could see Stone, sitting down, his legs crossed, his mate, Tree-star, sitting next to him.

"Greetings, Rex." Stone said, not getting up. "I am glad you decided to join us."

"I was called here." Rex said as he sat down indian-style close to the gray-colored alpha. "Why have you called me here?" The adult dracovol inquired, folding his arms and narrowing his eyes almost suspiciously.

"I was just wondering...are you familiar with the Darkarian rumors?" Stone asked. This earned him a look of shock from the usually hardened and callous dracovol. "I'll take that as a yes, of course. We are all familiar to what the farwalkers tell us, that they see a dark pack of alimons still looming around the remains of the Great Valley...or Desolate Valley as it is known nowadays."

Rex raised an eyebrow. "And...you want me to go investigate? See if the rumors are true?"

"Well..I know it might sound silly..but..." Stone stopped as he felt a nudge from behind. He looked over to see his good friend, Donovan, approaching. "Perhaps you should explain, my good friend." Stone smiled.

"We want to confirm if this Darkarian rumor is to be considered a threat or just a hoax, Rex." Donovan said in his cool voice. "If there are still Darkarians, they could find us and deal us the same harsh blow as they did back in the Great Valley if we are unprepared. We must find out if the rumors are true or not."

"And why should I go? Why can't one of you go?" Rex asked, feeling a bit of anger burning inside. Why did they ask him to go? They're all perfectly able to go themselves. The Desolate Valley wasn't THAT far away. They probably wanted him to go because he was a flyer. But why choose him? There were plenty of other fish in the sea. Send another flyer! They'd do the job just as quickly as he could. "And why can't you send one of the flyers here?"

"We would be glad to...but..." Stone said. "Well I don't think they'd be up for the job, and it's not like we could convince them to go to such a barren land, possibly still overrun by sharpteeth and Darkarians."

"Sorry, but I have to pass on that. Why should I bother with something that may not even be true? It's not of my concerns." The dracovol turned and began to walk away.

As he walked away, he heard Donovan shout back to him. "I think you might be interested in going if you knew something!"

Sighing, Rex looked behind him. "Okay, you have caught my attention. What is it?"

"The Darkarian rumoured to be spotted was Axel!" Donovan said, hoping this would change the dracovol's mind.

Rex's eyes narrowed darkly, and his lips curled back to reveal sharp, serrated teeth. "Axel..." He growled. He knew her all to well. "The one who killed my mother..." He could recall it like it was yesterday, and since that day, he had vowed revenge. Spreading his wings, he said, "All right..I'll go." And with that, he took off into the sky, and headed for Desolate Valley. 


	2. Return

Author's Note: Okay, so here's the next chapter for Desolation. Sorry for the delay. Due to being busy with Out of the Shadows 2, I am forced to focus far less time on this story. Once OOTS2 is finished, however, I will focus more on updating this story.

Land Before Time belongs to Universal.  
Rex and the Dracovol race, Crescent Valley, Yu, and Donovan belong to Sora W.T.K.  
Stone, Tree-star, and the Rock Rangers belong to EbonyPatriot.  
Story idea inspired by Sora's friend.  
Everything else belongs to me.

Chapter 2-

Large blue wings opened up, covering much of the sky. They were riddled with small tears and scars. The pair of wings belonged to Rex as he soared over the land. He barely flapped his wings, using the strong currents to carry him along. His hard eyes scowered the land, looking for familiar landmarks. It had been a long time since he had searched for the Great Valley, or what was left of it, and he had only told landmarks to guide him. But how difficult was it to spot the valley? There weren't too many valleys within a few hundred miles. The Great Valley would be recognized for its near perfect circle shape.

Something caught the corner of the dracovol's eye. A land structure, mountains so jagged and sharp and they stood taller than anything Rex had seen in his life. The structure stood much higher than the Desolate Valley's walls. Within them, Rex could see what mirrored the former Great Valley: lush green plants growing everywhere, forests population almost half the valley. But what really stood out was the waterfall. It ran into the valley from a cave that was shaped with an uncanny resemblance to a bonecrusher's head.

It didn't take long for the dracovol to know what this place was. Fortress Valley it was called. He knew it was populated by sharpteeth and plant-eaters, similar to Crescent Valley, but the similarities had stopped right there. While in Crescent Valley, thanks to the alimons, peace and harmony reign the valley despite the carnivores living there. But in Fortress Valley, everything was different. The plant-eaters are treated as slaves, and cannot exit the valley. Some are spared only to reproduce and continue to feed the sharpteeth.

All the exits to the valley were sealed off except for one tunnel, which was heavily guarded and booby-trapped. Only certain sharpteeth were permitted to learn how to avoid getting killed while entering and leaving Fortress Valley. There was of course flying out of the valley, but the leader of Fortress Valley, Loc, a crimson-colored carnotaurus, had found a way around this. Everytime a new plant-eating flyer came into the valley, whether it was born there or it flew in to rest, was immediately captured by the sharptooth flyers and their wings ripped to prevent them from flying away.

Rex was disgusted by this. The sharpteeth in Fortress Valley were no better than the Darkarians. In fact, before the disappearance of the evil alimons, they and the Fortress Valley sharpteeth had joined forces to irradicate the population of the Great Valley and Rock Ranger alimons. But despite all his hate for the jagged valley, something was preventing him from leaving. He continued to hover above, staring into the valley, uncaring if anyone saw him. There was someone in there he wanted to meet with, someone he hadn't seen in a long time.

"Yu..." Rex muttered under his breath. During the war, he had become friends with a green velociraptor with blue stripes named Yu. The fiesty raptor had some anger issues, and nearly attacked him when they first met. But after calming him down and then saving him when a Darkarian attacked from behind, the two became best friends. Yu had lost his father in the war, and became the new leader of his raptor pack. They vowed to get their revenge someday.

Rex recalled how Yu came up with the plan of infiltrating Fortress Valley. Since he had never participated in the war, there would be less suspicion and the chances of him getting accepted were higher. Yu would gain their trust, and learn their ways. Once he learned enough, he would escape the valley, locate his pack, and teach them everything he had learned at Fortress Valley. When they were ready, they would attack the leader of the evil sharpteeth and kill him, and avenge Yu's father's death.

That was how it was supposed to be, anyway. But that was a long time ago. Rex had not seen Yu since the day he left, and he knew how persuasive the Fortress Valley sharpteeth could be. It could be very well that Yu was brainwashed and joined their league. Or maybe they caught onto him and killed him before he had the chance to escape.

"No...it's just a delay." Rex had told himselff many times. But he had only his gut feeling to go by. The only way for him to confirm the status of Yu was by entering the valley himself. But if he did that...what if he was caught? He would surely be outnumbered greatly. Loc's army easily measured in the thousands, if he were to rally up all his allies anyway. Rex knew nothing of how many warriors were kept inside the valley and how many were sent to other locations.

The dracovol moved an inch towards the valley and stopped. He turned his head slowly in the direction he was headed, and then back at the jagged mountains of the dark valley below him. The message he recieved earlier told him to locate any Darkarians. Even if he finds just one, it's important. His mission was not to look into Fortress Valley and look for a friend he may not even know still exists. Staring at the valley for a few more minutes, the dracovol finally breaks eye contact and moves on.

"Was that who I think it was...?" A growly voice asked. A long snout lined with teeth, exposed as the lips curled back in apparent anger and contempt. A hand, with three long talons, tapped on a rock as the figure sat down, the tail in the air, swishing side to side. Almond-shaped eyes, colored like the blood of a kill, a black slit gleaming with hate, the other pure white and sightless, gazed up into the sky with gleaming hatred.

He stood on two long legs, muscles bulging in his legs as he moved them. A few deep scars covered his left flank, so deep that his muscle was exposed. Part of his muzzle was missing, exposing bone and part of the inside of his mouth. His skin was a swampy green color, stripes a dull yellow color lined his back. His teeth were yellow from him not taking care of them that well.

His killer claws, once long and sharp, were both shattered and almost completely useless. He could still use them to inflict some minor damage, but their uselfulness had dwindled down to almost nothing. "He has returned...?" The velociraptor growled softly, shifting his red gaze to a second raptor who stood before him. He had grown to trust this raptor as second in command, and trusted him with all his secrets.

The raptor was green as the grass at his feet, and was only a tad smaller than the swamp green raptor. Stripes as blue as water occupied his back and his almond-shaped eyes were a mix of blue and green, a perfect blend. He carried only one scar, which snaked across his left eye. His hand talons curved inward, toward his chest, as they rested in the air. The raptor looked up into the sky and watched the dracovol disappear. Unlike the first raptor, his killer claws were in perfect condition.

"We must inform Loc about this." The other raptor said, flexing his claws impatiently, wanting to strike something.

"Why?" The other said. Judging from his tone, he was far from interested in telling Loc anything. "It is just one dracovol. What harm could he possibly do?" His calm nature towards the presence of the dracovol suggested that he probably knew Rex, and knew his weaknesses and his strengths.

"Listen, we cannot afford mistakes!" The other snapped, his lizard lips peeling back even further until it looked like they would rip. The yellow teeth almost gleamed in the sunlight. "If we do not inform Loc right away, he'll..."

"Oh he'll what?" The green raptor snapped, his calm eyes now narrowing into slits. "You know, we don't always have to take orders from that self-absorbed horned sharptooth! How is he going to know we spotted the last dracovol?"

"Unless I happen to be behind you..." A dark voice said from behind the two raptors. As they both turned around, and saluted the sharptooth, they came face to face with the leader of Fortress Valley. Standing nearly twice as tall as the raptor, he was literally a giant among them. His skin was a red hue, his belly a ligher red that connected to his lower jaw and colored downward to the underside of his tail. His eyes were as yellow as the sun. Horns shot out from the sides of his head, and pointed inward slightly.

His large, thickly muscled legs moved his massive bulk forward, his short, nearly useless arms dangling at the sides, almost like a joke. His muzzle was short, almost beak shaped, but were as lethal as any sharptooth for they hid sharp teeth that were ready to rip away vulnerable flesh. As he spoke, his teeth were fully exposed. "So, I hear you two of spotted something of...interest."

"Loc, sir!" The swamp gray raptor felt uneasy in the presence of the dominant sharptooth of the valley. "My second-in-command and I...we both saw..I mean we spotted..." He stammered, his body shaking so much it was causing problems in his speach.

The red sharptooth lowered his head and leaned in close enough to nearly touch the nervous raptor nose to nose. "Tell me what, Igo?"

Igo gulped and found the courage to say, "We spotted the dracovol you warned us about..." He struggled to keep his cool as the crimson sharptooth's eyes were suddenly blazing with anger. "He was flying overhead, just a few minutes ago."

Loc growled in Igo's face, mouth parting slightly and causing the sickleclaw to cower in fear as the teeth came within centimeters of his vulnerable skin. The carnotaurus shifted his large head towards the green and blue raptor, eyes still holding the same anger. "Is this true, Yu?"

Yu stood unfazed by the sharptooth's anger. He straightened himself up dutifully and saluted Loc by lowering his head in respect. "Yes, Loc. Rex was here. Judging from the direction he flew, I suspect he is heading towards the Great Valley..." He looked up at Loc, a grin on his face. "Heh, or should I say..Desolate Valley?"

Loc narrowed his eyes even more. Something didn't seem to add up. He knew, just like everyone else, that there was not much of interest at the valley. Ever since the war devastated it, it had not much to offer to anyone willing to visit. What could the dracovol possibly want there? He wasn't going to find any of his own kind there. He was the last, that's for sure. There was hardly any food there worth while for a dracovol. There were no allies that were hidden in the valley's walls. There was nothing for the dracovol there. So why bother going?

"Why would he want to go there? Why, there's nothing there but destruction, and perhaps some animals but none of use to us." Loc said. "What could he possibly gain by entering Desolate Valley?"

"Perhaps it's to find the Darkarians?" Igo suggested, lifting a wavering claw in the air. "Maybe he wants revenge and..."

"Darkarians?!" Loc snapped, glaring into Igo's red eyes. "Don't be a fool, Igo! The Darkarians vanished years ago! They may have well been all killed!"

"Or were they?" Yu had turned to walk away. But he looked over his shoulder, seeing he caught Loc and Igo's attention. He smirked, and called over to them, "I know about the Darkarians. I know what they are capable of. I doubt they would disappear that easily." With that said, he disappeared, leaving Loc and Igo alone to talk and to think.

"So..here I am." Rex said, opening his wings completely to allow a slow descent to the ground. His feet touched the ground as he looked around, the valley walls completely surrounding him now. The dried up grass crackled as his feet touched it. He looked around. The place looked far worse than he remembered. He took a look around, noting the shattered walls, the destroyed vegetation, and the smell of death that clung to the air. He shook his head slowly. "I do not understand why the Darkarians would choose this, out of all places, as their hideout."

He picked up a blade of grass. Instead of its usual lively green color, it was now a yellowish color. It crumbled easily in his claws. "Not exactly paradise. Those fools wouldn't last that much longer here. No leaf-eater is stupid enough to live here, not after what happened." He took a few steps forward, reaching a fallen log that lay before him. The log had dead, dried up moss coating the top of it. The wood itself was rotten, and soft to the touch. He noticed a few bugs crawling along its top.

"Well I guess they could survive by eating bugs." Rex thought, folding his wings against his back as he began his search around the valley, looking for any trace of alimons. But before he could take a single step into his journey, a voice stopped him in his tracks.

"Well well well...look who has finally returned." A feminine voice called out. Rex's eyes narrowed angrily as the source of the voice emerged from her hiding place. Her dark blue eyes, with light blue irises, stared into his dark blue eyes with a mutual feeling. Her red talons dug into the ground as she walked slowly towards him. Her yellow skin, with brown along the top and red-violet along the bottom, it was how Rex recognized who this was, as if the voice wasn't enough. She also bore the unmistakable marking, an X on the shoulder.

Rex stood right where he was, his wings spread to allow him to fly away if he had to. "Axel...so the rumors were right..."

Axel chuckled, her shoulders shaking slightly with each laugh. "Well, dear Rex, what did you expect? Oh did you think that you would come here and hope that I wasn't here? That I was dead?" She asked sarcastically, not trying to hide the wide grin spreading across her muzzle.

The dracovol fell onto a four-legged position. His tail lifted high in the air, a sure sign of a challenge. "Why don't you fight me Axel? You know you want to..." He hissed softly. When Axel didn't move for a few moments, Rex said, "Oh are you afraid? You afraid I'll defeat you?"

Axel burst out laughing. "Oh like how you defeated that group of sharpteeth that entered the valley?" She said sarcastically. "Oh the great Rex, he's such a powerful warrior, and yet, in spite of all his skills, he couldn't save the Great Valley!" Her mocking voice stung Rex in his heart, and she grinned at this. "What? It's true."

"Oh you'll pay for that...I'll make you eat those words!" The dracovol lunged forward, claws outstretched and jaws wide open.

Axel smirked. "I thought you'd never say it." She lunged forward, preparing to meet his attack. 


	3. Fight

Author's note: Ack! OO It's been over a month since my last update? Oh noes! I best get the next one typed up!

Land Before Time belongs to Universal.  
Rex and the Dracovol race, Crescent Valley, Yu, and Donovan belong to Sora W.T.K.  
Stone, Tree-star, and the Rock Rangers belong to EbonyPatriot.  
Story idea inspired by Sora's friend.  
Everything else belongs to me.

Chapter 3-

A pair of fangs, a clash of claws, streaks of yellow and blue, this is what anyone watching would have seen as a mass of reptile bodies rolled across the dead floor. A screech of pain, a roar of agony, a howl of anger, many sounds pierced into the skies, and the valley walls. Red claws made contact with delicate blue skin, sheering away to reveal red lines with reddish ooze dripping out and staining the ground. Then the mass crashes into a log, the wood splintering instantly, fragments flying in several directions. The yellow alimon's body is pushed into what remained of the log, the tall dracovol standing over her menacingly. She did not erase her own snarl from her face.

"Why have you come back here?!" The growly voice of Rex asked angrily. He grabbed Axel by her neck and lifted her up into the air. "There is nothing left of the valley! Are you and the Darkarians happy?! This is what your precious plan has brought!" He tosses her aside. "Tell me, Axel, was it all worth it? Was it worth listening to your precious boss?!"

"So naive, as always, Rexy boy." Axel cooed as she stood back up, moving like she was unharmed and yet baring cuts and bruises from the sprawl. "If you are as clever as they say you are, you should realize that our plan is not finished..."

Rex roared in frustration as he brings his arms forward, claws tensed up, wings spread out. "Oh I think it's finished! It's been finished for a long time! What will the Great Valley be good for now?! There's nothing left! You Darkarians RUINED IT!!" He charged forward and, before Axel could react, struck the yellow alimon across the face. Blood sprayed across his face as he pulled out his claws. Blood lines appeared across Axel's face as she roared in pain and backed away a little. Then Rex made his next move, swatting her legs with his tail. This caused Axel to buckle down forward. Rex then kicked her in the neck, causing her to be flipped onto her back.

The dazed alimon moaned a few times, using her tongue to gingerly lick the blood that was trinkling down her muzzle and into her mouth. Rex took a single leap, now he was over her. He quickly sat down on her chest, and clamped his jaws on her throat, and applied pressure. Axel's eyes widened and she began to thrash wildly, but the dracovol's jaws remained clamped, unmoving, the teeth raking into her flesh. Before Rex's jaws cut off her air supply, she screeched, "All...right! I'll...talk!"

The battle-scarred dracovol smirked. Axel may believe she is so big and strong and so confident, but if her life was threatened, she would give in, at least momentarily. He would need to get the information quickly, otherwise he has lost his chance. Axel does not fall for the same trick twice so easily. He quickly released his grip on her throat, but did not move off of her. "All right, you filthy Darkarian. Talk..."

"The destruction of the Great Valley was only phase one of our brilliant plan." Axel spoke with a strong sense of pride in her feminine voice. "It was extra rewarding knowing that your pathetic Rock Ranger friends were so preoccupied with stopping us from destroying the valley to see the bigger picture... The valley was only the first step. If the Rock Rangers were clever, they would have realized this."

"Enough!" The dracovol gripped Axel by her throat, gripping hard enough to show he meant business but light enough so she could still breathe and speak, to answer his questions. "What is this bigger picture that you disgusting Darkarians are planning?!"

The yellow alimon blinked at first, her eyes widening. She did realize that if she spoke, their plan would be ruined. But if she didn't, she would risk losing her life. She remained silent, staring into the glaring, waiting eyes of Rex. She broke away from his gaze, letting her eyes slowly scan her prediciment. She felt her eyes blink as she noticed a chance of escape. Her tail was laying very close to Rex's leg, and it would seem the scarred dracovol was paying too much attention to her to realize the situation he was about to get into.

Axel slowly grinned, her teeth exposing in the light. Rex remained unfazed as the high-ranking dinosaur burst into laughter, a laugh so cold and icy it would freeze the heart solid. "So you really think I am going to give out such vital information to YOU?! What kind of fool do you take me for, Rex?"

Rex suddenly gripped Axel's neck tighter, causing the yellow beast to writhe with surprise as her air supply was suddenly cut off completely. "A fool who is about to bite the dust..." He smirked as he watched Axel's face, her mouth open to try and take in a breath.

Axel's eyes slowly look downward. Rex believed she was only trying to plead for help, but in reality her eyes were focusing on Rex's leg, and, trying to ignore the pain around her throat, she wrapped her tail around Rex's leg. The dracovol felt the tail snaking around his limb, and grip tightly. He suddenly realized the real reason why Axel had laughed earlier. She must have seen this opportunity before hand. Rex quickly tried to move, but the alimon was faster. In a blink of an eye, she pulled as hard as she could. Rex was thrown off balance, and he landed in a loud thud onto his back.

Axel climbed up to her feet shakingly, coughing, breathing, rubbing her throat gingerly with a paw. Her eyes, angry and full of hate, gazed upon Rex's fallen form. She stalked slowly forward, her body low, her tail high up in the air, swaying back and forth slowly. Her head was low, her mouth opened slightly. Her teeth slightly exposed, her tongue was hanging on one side as she licked her chops. She pushed herself into the air, and she landed heavily on Rex's stomach.

"Oof!" Rex yelped as he felt the full weight of the muscular alimon on his stomach, standing, pinning him down. "Why you..." He growled as he positioned his foot on Axel to prepare to push her off of him. Quickly the Darkarian shot her head forward and clamped her jaws on Rex's throat. What goes around comes around as some people would say. Rex's eyes bulged in pain as he felt the large fangs of the alimon singing into his neck. She got off of him, but kept her jaws clamped onto his vulnerable neck. She rose onto her hind legs, and lifted her head as high as it would go, raising Rex's body as high as she could. Then, mustering up all the strength she had in her jaws and neck, she threw Rex across the floor, forcing the dracovol to crash loudly into a dead tree. The tree broke instantly from the force of the impact and came crashing down. Rex soon found himself pinned down on his stomach by the large limb.

It was not heavy enough to kill him, but heavy enough to keep him from escaping quickly, let along use his wings to fly off. He felt the Darkarian's paw on his head, the claws digging into his skin. "Here lays the might Rex.", came Axel's taunting voice, "He was a legendary fighter, but in the end he was killed by an even stronger fighter, Axel..."

Rex twisted his head to look hatefully at the yellow, red-violet, and brown alimon. "You..really think you've got me beat?" He spat at her.

Axel laughed. "Oh come on. You're pinne down, and my paw is on your head! What makes you think you could still win...?!" She didn't wait for him to answer as she lowered her head and opened up her mouth. She gently laid her teeth on Rex's head, intending on increasing the pressure until his skull cracked open.

Rex chuckled. "But it looks like you forgotten one detail..." Suddenly, Rex's arm, the only thing not pinned down other than his head, lashed forward, gripping Axel on the side of her neck. Axel was in the position that left her blind spot open to attack. She winced as she felt the claws of the teal dracovol dig into her skin, the claws cutting deep into her flesh. They tore away at blood vessels as they made a long gash across the side of her neck. The searing pain forced her to scream, releasing her grip on the dracovol. Blood dripped down onto the floor, Axel staring at it in shock.

"How dare you..." Axel breathed. She took a step forward, but the pain in her neck caused her to pull back. "Ugh..well..we'll finish this later.." The Darkarian quickly dashed away, leaving Rex trapped under the debris of the log.

"What? You aren't going to help me get out?" Rex muttered sarcastically and to no one in particular. He used his free, bloodied hand to try and drag himself out. But after a few minutes of doing this, he found he wasn't moving an inch. "There's got to be another way." He then tried to reposition himself, but this didn't work. "Man, why did I leave myself open for her to pull such a stunt?!"

"My my..what a show, what a show. Bravo Rex, bravo!" A masculine, very familiar voice called out to him. The dracovol lifted his head, quickly looking left and right, trying to find the source of the voice. Suddenly a flash of gray zipped passed him and landed just a few feet in front of him. "I could not have done better myself, my boy." He said, laughing heartfully.

"Stone?! What are you doing here?" Rex cried out, his anger lying. Was this whole thing a set up? Was this just merely a test of his skills?! "I thought I was to do this alone!"

Stone put on a false sad face. "Oh...I can't come along to watch?"

"WATCH?!" Rex shrieked, forgetting about his usual composure. "YOU CAME ALL THE WAY HERE JUST TO WATCH?!"

"I was just kidding." Stone said sternly, a mild glare on his face. "I have come to..assist you." He looked over the debris the dracovol was trapped under. "And it would seem I made the right choice in following you here." He chuckled dryly. "Here..let me help you get out of there." He slowly approached, but the dracovol suddenly snapped at him, startling the gray alimon.

"I can get out myself! Now why don't you go back crawling to that cowardly mate of yours, Tree-star?! Figures she wouldn't be coming along." Rex said bitterly. Much of his hostility was due to both Axel's recent attack and the fact that the tree pinning him down was causing him pain. He would normally not snap like that at Stone, nor had he ever called Tree-star a coward, even though he knew full well she was.

"Don't get that attitude with me, mister!" Stone said in a scolding manner, as though Rex was his son. He lifted his cane made of solid diamond and whacked Rex across the head with it, resulting in him yelping in pain.

"Ouch!" Rex rubbed his head with his bloodied paw. "Maybe diamond was not the best material to use..." He whispered to himself.

"And second, do not ever insult my mate like that again!" He lifted his cane again. "Understand, my boy?"

Rex quickly nodded, not wanting that cane to strike his cranium again. "Crystal clear, sir!"

Stone suddenly smiled again. His sudden change in behavior and emotions has always bothered Rex, and, at times, creeped him out. The gray alimon chuckled, and walked over to the tree. He stood up on his back legs, using his pegleg and his remaining paw to pull up on the tree. Using as much strength as he had, he managed to lift the tree up enough for Rex to crawl out quickly. Stone released it, and the tree shattered as it landed heavily on the ground.

"So did you manage to learn anything from Axel?" Stone asked politely, sitting down on the dead grass.

"Only that the destruction of this valley was only part one of their plan." This caught Stone's attention. He lifted his head up a bit as Rex continued to speak. "She said that the very fact that you Rock Rangers were fighting to protect the valley meant that you guys didn't see the full picture, what was really going on."

"So what is this plan?" Stone asked after he shook off the initial surprise of the information.

"I-I don't know." Rex answered.

"Why not?" Stone asked.

"Because..Axel ran off." Rex replied, looking off in the direction that wretched dinosaur took off in. 


	4. Enemy

(A/N: Oh geeze, another delay, and this time, TWO months. Man I'm losing it... Anyway, here's the next chapter.)

Chapter 4-

A cave stood high above the Mysterious Beyond ground, hidden amongst the walls of the valley once full of life. Tunnel after tunnel after tunnel connected in a huge network of paths, each one as dark as the night, for no light could shine in, save for a few holes caused the meteorite slamming into the walls so many years ago. Perfect hideout, perfect place to plan, it was home to the nefarious Darkarians. More specifically, it used to be the home of the Rock Rangers until the Darkarians overpowered them and ran them out. And deep inside one of the tunnels, voices were being lifted into the air.

"You ran into who?!" The voice was masculine, but it was so muffled it was hard to tell who was speaking. The voice was followed by a bellow of pain, the voice feminine this time. The familiar sound of rock cracking and whimpering could be heard.

"I-I'm sorry! I'm sorry!" The female voice pleaded as the sound of another strike sounded out. A body slammed into the wall of the cave, and a stalagmite fell down. Then there was a clanking sound, and a loud thud. Dust picked up in the air, and hovered thick enough to cause creatures close by to have a coughing fit, their eyes shut to protect them from the smokey debris. A light breeze from a nearby hole slowly pushed the dust away, the air becoming clean once more.

"Hmmph!" The masculine voice scolded. "Pathetic creature..." A bit of light revealed the creature was an alimon, standing roughly 8 ft tall, skin covered in a dark blue skin, gray covering the top of his body. A large X scar decorated his shoulder. The alimon walked forward, his red eyes glaring cold-heartedly at the second figure, a female alimon. The stalagmite knocked against her head, knocking her out cold. Her body was covered in bruises and scratches.

The female had yellow skin, and at first glance, the untrained eye might mistake her for Axel. But this alimon was smaller in size, and did not have the brown skin on her back. Red skin colored her paws, muzzle, and underside. Her eyes were blue, like Axel's, but they had more green in them. Her claws were bright white, not blood red.

The large male placed a clawed paw on the nape of her neck, and kept it there. He was pondering on what he should do with this weak alimon. Should he just kill her off now and, hopefully, save their plan? Or should he let her live and escape the possible wrath Axel would bring to him. This particular alimon happened to be Axel's sister, Tana. And while the two aren't exactly best pals, the dark blue alimon had always feared that Axel would go loco on anyone who severely injured or killed her sister. After all, Tana and Axel came from the same group of eggs.

"Rorra!" A distant voice called. The dark blue alimon, Rorra, lifted up his head in the direction of the voice. Although faint, he recognized the voice as Axel. He felt relief, glad that it wasn't some Rock Ranger trying to return home and possibly listening into their plans and revealing them to Stone. But then a wave of panic struck him. He quickly looked at the fallen Tana, and then at a shadow that was starting to form, that shadow being Axel.

Rorra would have no idea how Axel would react to Tana being in this state until she would show up and see it for herself. The shadow crept closer. Rorra stiffened himself, to make himself appear more like an authority figure. He was the leader of the Darkarians after all. He must not show fear towards anyone, not even the terrible Axel, who could strike fear even into his cold and hardened heart.

"Rorra, I bring you news." Another yellow alimon entered the cave, a big evil grin on her face. At first, she didn't notice Tana on the ground against the stalagmite. Instead she kept her icy eyes on Rorra. "I had a little..bit of a meeting with Rex. As we've suspected, the Rock Rangers are still oblivious to the rest of our plan. They've left themselves exposed..."

Rorra smirked. "Good good. Stone never was very bright. If it weren't for Turquoise's interference, my own father could have..."

Axel cut him off, her expression changed to a look of anger. "Rorra...why is my sister on the floor like that?"

"Well...I..."

"And why is she all bruised and bloodied up? Did you two get into an argument or something?" Axel inquired.

Rorra quickly shook off his fear and nervousness and pressed his muzzle against Axel's. "I punished her for leaving the safety of these walls and confronting a group of Rock Rangers all by herself! She could have gotten herself killed, or worse, led them right to us! She deserved it!" He glared at the unconscious yellow form. "The fool..what was she thinking?!"

Axel hissed loudly. "For your information, I had told Tana to scout around, AND to fight off any Rock Rangers who had strayed too close! Tana fought the Rock Rangers to PROTECT this new home! She was only following orders!"

The sudden outburst made Rorra cringe visibly, his teeth gritted with uncertainty. While it was not in his nature to feel guilt, he still felt fear. He had triggered a small portion of Axel's rage. Goodness knows what would have happened if that stalagmite had hit its target...

"A thousand apologies then." He said sternly, his face masking his true emotions. "But the next time you give out an order, Axel, you should tell me about it. You might be second-in-command, but that doesn't mean you can run the place like you were the leader." He turned his head away, intent on leaving. "You must wait until I am dead before you can take over."

Axel's anger melted away quickly, replaced by sadistic humor. She chuckled as she approached Tana to awaken her. "Which might be sooner than you think..."

Rorra's body stopped, muscles tightened up. He quickly turned around and shouted, "What was that?!"

The large yellow alimon greeted him with a simple smile. "Oh nothing, sir. Nothing at all. Don't concern yourself about it. No need to get worried over nothing." She said coolly, chuckling to herself.

Rorra eyed her suspiciously. "Uh huh..." He turned and walked away, leaving the two siblings alone.

Axel watched him leave, an evil gleam in her eyes. If she ruled the pack, things would be different... But enough dreaming about the future. Right now she had to awaken her sister and take her to the pack's nurses. Her muzzle knocked Tana's head a little, and the eyes fluttered open. She groaned and looked up, seeing her sister's face upclose. She let out a scream and jolted back onto all fours.

"I'm sorry! I won't do it again! I promise!" She cried out, shaking violently. Axel chuckled, but said nothing. She simply gestured Tana to go down the tunnel behind her. Tana knew this tunnel led down to where the nurses were. The weaker alimon did not really want to go down to the nurses, but she could not disobey her second-in-command. Sighing, not saying a word, she turned around and began to walk down the path.

Axel stared after her, and an evil grin spread across her muzzle. "Soon everything will fall into place... You will see Rex. You will see..."

Crescent Valley had been quiet most of the day after Rex and Stone returned. The young dinosaurs were deeper in the valley playing, and they weren't loud enough to be heard where the Rock Rangers were sunbathing. It felt nice for a change. Normally at this time of the day, all they could hear was screaming children. A few Rock Rangers wanted to give the kids a piece of their mind, but Stone had forbidden it. He claims that would arouse suspicion from the adult dinosaurs, and they could be thrown out.

"Those brats had better keep their yap shut.." Grumbled a green Rock Ranger as he tossed himself onto his back. his white belly exposed.

"I don't really mind." A red female chirped in. "They remind me of the peaceful days of my cubbiehood. It would feel great to be a kid again."

"Ha!" The green alimon snapped. "Speak for yourself! Children are nothing but a pain if you ask me. All they do is whine whine whine to you all day long, never giving you a moment's peace!"

"Oh come now." The red alimon chuckled softly as she got up slowly. "Children aren't all that bad. I mean, they keep a species alive..and well, you were a kid once you know."

"I know..but..."

As the pair continued their little argument about children, Rex stood on a rock face, peering into the valley. His mind had been on his encounter with Axel. What had she meant with her claims? If the valley was not the only thing on the Darkarian's minds..what was? It didn't make sense to the scarred dracovol. There had to have been something missing, something he and the others were overlooking. He stared at the children playing, recognizing Littlefoot, Cera, Ducky, Petrie, and Spike. They were playing in a small lake near the back quarters of the crescent-shaped valley.

His dark blue eyes narrowed as he watched such innocent youth playing as if there wasn't a care in the world. Rex would not forgive himself if these children, and others like them, fell to the same fate as the residents of the Great Valley had. But in order to protect them, he must learn more information from Axel. The Darkarians were sneaky all right. They had many ways in trying to make their plans work. If he figured out one way, the Darkarians would only come up with a new plan.

So the solution was to find out without being detected. His broad wings opened up, and he took off, and dove into Crescent Valley. He had to speak with Stone. Perhaps they don't need Axel to figure out the rest of the puzzle. "Hey Stone!" He called out as he landed next to the silver-covered alimon. "Could I have a word with you?"

"Oh sure." Stone replied, smiling softly. "Go ahead and talk. I'm all ears!"

Rex nodded dutifully. "Yes, well, I was thinking..maybe we don't need to hunt down Axel to force information from her." Stone cocked an eyebrow. "If we thought about what she said..maybe we could figure out the rest! Now if I recall correctly, she had brought up the 'bigger picture', how you and your pack were oblivious to it because you were focusing mainly on the Great Valley..."

"Yes. The Darkarians have always believed us to be fools for taking care of the valley." Stone shook his head. "How dare they trample all over our beliefs?!"

"It's just like them." A voice chimed in. Rex and Stone turned to see Donovan slowly approaching them. His blue eyes narrowed in anger. "Those monsters. They laughed behind our backs as we struggled to maintain a paradise, only to have lost it because of some stupid falling rock! That Darkarian Win was a fluke, I tell you! A fluke!"

"Relax, Donovan. Don't let your blood pressure get to high." Stone said softly, his voice sounding slightly amused. He turned back to Rex. "Now you were saying?"

"Well, if the Great Valley was only part one of their plan..what could the second part of their plan be?" Rex inquired.

"To laugh at us and our pathetic attempt at protecting the valley?" Donovan barked darkly.

Rex shook his head. The dracovol put his paws together, looking at the grassy floor at his feet. "That is what I was thinking too, but that seems..to simple. Axel said the information was too valuable for her to give up to me. Why would she want to protect the information if all it was was just villainy laughter? Something's amiss here."

"Hmm..you're right." Stone said after a few seconds of thinking. "But what could be so important that Axel cannot relinquish the informtion?"

"Nothing..." Donovan said. "Nothing..except..."

"MORE TARGETS!" Donovan, Rex, and Stone, exclaimed at one time.

"But not just any target..." Rex spoke softly. "In order for her to go to lengths to keep it a secret..."

"The new target must be..." Donovan said.

"CRESCENT VALLEY!" The trio shouted in unison. 


	5. Threat

(Author's note: Well I had put this story on hold for a bit because I was busy inking and coloring some more comic pages. That and I had writer's block and what to do next for this chapter. Anyway, I do not know when I'll be done with the comics, but I'll try to update these two fanfics whenever I can. I am hoping to make the updates much more frequent soon.)

Chapter 5-

As the sun set in the horizon on the following day, the Fortress Valley's spiked walls produced menacing shadows as the sun's light grew less and less intense. The face of the sharptooth jetting out from the valley's walls looked much scarier in the dark, the pointed teeth gleaming in the rising moonlight. Dim light shimmered off the water that was flowing through the mouth and into the river below.

The coming breeze, cool and refreshing from the hot day, caused the trees to sway back and forth, a few leaves ripped from the stem and flew alongside the wind. A dark cloud was rolling almost maliciously across the sky, but brough little more than mild rumblings, and the trickling of light run. Raindrops, barely half the size of a normal raindrop, splashed against the sides of the rockface, making it look like it was shining.

As a distant lightning flash temporary illuminated the valley, a shadow of a fast biter, aka sickleclaw, could be seen on the grassy plains that grew close to the sharptooth head waterfall. As darkness descended on the valley again, the sun no longer in sight, the moon now visible in the horizon, a light sigh could be heard, and then the sound of grass crumpling. A green foot stopped onto the ground, a large sickle claw raised in the air, almost to strike.

A head, with a long snout, looked upwards to the sky. The being opened its mouth, revealing rows of very sharp teeth. As the creature spoke, its voice revealed its gender. Male. "Oh Rex...why did you return now? Out of all times...why did it have to be now?"

The creature was Yu, the green raptor who had spotted the dracovol flying over the valley earlier. His face showed that he was feeling both distressed and concerned. He had hoped that Rex wouldn't show his face around here again...at least until Yu had gotten enough information to return to Crescent Valley that is. Yu had hoped to keeping Rex's fate a secret. He knew that Loc knew what Rex was capable of. Just prior to him becoming second-in-command, he had heard Loc announce that anyone who spotted Rex should report it immediately so he could gather up his best fighters to dispose of the dracovol.

Yu's initial plan was to learn enough about Loc's sharptooth pack and their ways, so he could analyze their weaknesses and give this valuable information back to Stone, so they could coordinate a resistance to wipe out Loc's groups. Without the Darkarians around, Loc was the next biggest threat. While the carnotaurus was not as ambitious as the Darkarians, the red dinosaur was still dangerous. Loc was planning on invading Crescent Valley and nabbing some of the dinosaurs to bring back to Fortress Valley.

When Yu first heard of this plan, he felt confused as first, and then relieved. This was before he knew the truth about Fortress Valley's treatment of leaf-eaters. When he arrived, there were few leaf-eaters around, and the carnivores looked like they were starving. Loc had planned to invade Crescent Valley and another, Valley of Mists, to bring some leaf-eaters back into Fortress Valley. Yu believed that Loc wanted to restore harmony, but he later found out how wrong he was.

Loc doesn't care about harmony. All he cares about is making sure there is enough to eat for the sharpteeth of his troups. He doesn't think leaf-eaters of nothing more than food. He refuses to believe they are capable of any thoughts or feelings. He doesn't even think they feel pain when he cuts into their skin with his sharp teeth. If Yu wasn't undercover, he would try to take Loc on right now! But alas, he has to abide by the rules. He was forbidden to engage in any attempt to overthrow Loc by himself, as that would ruin the plans the Rock Rangers had in mind.

As Yu sat down on the ground, in a manner very similar to modern day chickens and roosters, a shadow, darker than the rest, loomed over him. As Yu stared into the water, he could make out a reddish reflection. Avoiding the temptation to snap at him, Yu calmly turned around to face the large sharptooth. Loc stared at him, pondering what he was going to say. Yu had ran off a couple days ago without warning, when Rex was first spotted. The horned sharptooth was determined to find out exactly why he did so.

"Yu, I am demanding to know why you ran off like that." He said, putting his puny arms on his belly.

Yu tilted his head, pretending not to know what the leader meant. "What are you talking about?"

"Don't toy with me!" He snapped, making the sickleclaw back away, almost touching the water. "You know exactly what I meant! When Rex was spotted, why did you just walk off?!"

"Oh..that." Yu said, straightening his body dutifully. "I apologize for that. I thought you wanted me to leave so you could speak with Igo.."

"If I want you to leave, I would have said so!" Loc boomed, making Yu cringe a little bit, a mild ringing in his ears from hearing the shout in close proximity. Loc then spoke in a softer voice. "Now...Igo claims he doesn't remember. But, with your excellent memory, perhaps you could enlighten me..."

"Enlighten you on what?" The raptor inquired, almost dreading what the carnotaurus was going to ask him. If anything, if he knew Loc well enough now, it would be a question regarding the dracovol.

The red carnotaurus nodded, the evil grin returning to his maw. "Yes...exactly which direction was Rex flying when you spotted him?"

Yu gulped. He knew he couldn't lie in front of Loc. That dinosaur knew him well enough to know when he was blindly making up a lie to get out of trouble. He had gotten away before because he had rehearsed and planned lies in his mind for days, weeks, months even before Loc had confronted him about certain issues. But this time was different. With no way to make up a suitable answer, and no time to rehearse, the velociraptor had no choice but to speak the truth. He could only hope that Rex wouldn't be mad at him later on, when he finds out..or if he finds out.

"Yes..." He said, almost hesitantly. He knew Loc did not know the way to the Great Valley. All he knew about the valley were stories from sharpteeth who had travelled from there to the Fortress Valley. "The Great Valley lies in that direction..." he pointed in one direction, Loc's eyes travelling where the hooked claw was going. "..a tad bit to the left." Yu could feel his heart fill with guilt as he gave away Rex's location. He could only hope the scarred dracovol had left already.

"I somehow doubt he'd still be there...But where would he reside?" Loc pondered. "Where could he go that would be close enough to Desolate Valley that he could make an airborne trip and back? Where could he live that offered a suitable habitat, and plenty of food..." Suddenly the horned sharptooth's eyes widened with realization. "That's it..."

'Oh no..he's figured it out!' Yu thought with extreme worry. Dreading what Loc was going to say next, he opened his jaws. "What's it...?" He asked, trying to make his voice sound more curious than worried.

Loc glared him with an evil smile. "Yes...there's only one place I think he could exist..." He looked in a new direction, and to Yu's shock and relief, it wasn't towards Crescent Valley. "Valley of Mists! That place is full of edible things. Plus with all that ground puffies, he could easily hide! What a clever dracovol...Very clever." He chuckled. "But not clever enough..."

'He ain't the only one who isn't clever.' Yu thought, grinned as he laughed inside. "Yes, that would make sense." He lied with a convincing voice. "He would have wanted to choose a place that is both feared and well hidden. As far as I know, there is only one entrance to that valley, and that is through a waterfall. But for a dracovol, he could just fly in anytime he wants to. And as you said, ground puffies would make it hard to see him. Our sharptooth flyer troops could soar ahead all they want to, and they'd never see him. The only way to spot him would be to..."

"...send a skilled tracker, perhaps a fast biter." Loc said, turning around. "And I know just who."

"Who did you have in mind?" Yu asked.

"Red..." Loc said, grinning as Yu's eyes widened in shock.

"Red?!" Yu couldn't believe what he was hearing. Red was the most rebellious fast biter of the pack! Why would Loc be crazy enough to send him?! Knowing that dark red menace, he would do something to stab Loc right in the back. He would hold back information. He would lie and decieve. He..was in many ways like Yu. But unlike Yu, Red did it for selfish reasons, to gain power. His only good quality is that he had an exceptional nose that could sniff prey through thick well-scented foliage, something other sharpteeth had some trouble doing.

Loc nodded, giving a small glare to the sickleclaw. "Do you got a problem with that?"

"Yes! Are you insane?! Why would you send that rebellious sharptooth out and entrust him with recieving valuable date?!" Yu screamed, forgetting to keep his mouth shut. "Why don't you just send me instead?! I would do a better job!"

"Oh really now?" Loc interrupted, laughing slightly. "You think you could outsniff Red? You think you could outrun Red? Listen little one, as much as you hate it, Red is more experienced than you. You might be second-in-command, but he has more fighting experience."

"Yes but..."

"But nothing!" Loc snapped. "However, I did take into concern his rebellion issues, and have come up with a conclusion." He looked at Yu in the eye as he said this. "You will accompany him."

Yu opened up his mouth to protect, but Loc would hear nothing of it.

"I want you to make sure he doesn't do anything stupid. The two of you are to go to Valley of Mists and bring back Rex at all costs! Do you understand me?" Loc demanded.

"Yes..but..."

"But what?!"

"What if..Rex isn't there?" Yu asked.

Loc's eyes widened. He hadn't thought of this before. What if Rex WASN'T at Valley of Mists. He narrowed his eyes dangerously. "Then proceed to Crescent Valley." 


End file.
